Foot-wear



(No Model.)

J. D. OHANTLER.

FOOT WEAR.

No. 455,303. Patented July 7, 1891.

WITNESSES.

m: "cams FETERB co, mm'mumo, WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES D. OHAN'ILER, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOOT- WEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 455,303, dated July 7, 1891.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES D. CHANTLER, of Allegheny, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Footear; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improvement, which may be called a footwarmer or a foot and leg warmer. Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken on the lineoawof Fig. 1, in which the overlapping portion of the upper of the shoe and the projecting portion or flap of the instep are mutually adj usted to each other.

Like figures indicate like parts.

My invention relates to coverings for the feet and legs such as are intended for use in a sever-e climate, and more particularly for cases in which the wearer is exposed to the weather or is obliged to be out in the snow and wet.

I am aware that foot and leg protectors have been heretofore manufactured and are in use which are designed for the same purpose; but, so far as I am informed, all such devices have been entirely closed both front and back, or have been split so as to open up either from the end of the toe to the top of the leg or partly so. There is also aknitboot, which has been made in one continuous piece of large size and then shrunk to a smaller size, so as to fit the foot. These are made to slip over the stocking.

One difficulty with all kinds offoot-warmers which have been heretofore in use is that if made small enough to fit the foot neatly when they are in one piece they are too small to go on easily, while'on the other hand, if made large enough to go on easily, they will not fit the footneatly or comfortably after they are on, but will almost certainly form large wrinkles under the foot, and thus give pain and inconvenience to the wearer. It will be remembered that as a rule these foot-warmers are intended to be Worn over the stocking and inside of the regular outside boot.

It has been my object to provide a footwarmer which would keep out the dampness Application filed February 24, 1891. Serial No. 382,388. (No model.)

and moisture from the outside as thoroughly as possible, and yet at the same time will admit of being opened upand dried with little trouble, and that will also give Ventilation to the foot while being worn. \Vith this object in .view I have produced my improvement, which I will proceed to describe in connection with the drawings.

Referring thereto, 1 shows a boot-leg such as forms a portion of my foot and leg warmer, which is composed of sheep-skin, and with the wool on and turned inside, and faced on the outside with a covering of canvas or leather or rubber.

At 2 is shown the portion known as the upper.

At 3 is shown the triangular-shaped piece or flap, which in myimprovement is attached to the foot part of the boot and the bootleg only by the rear line of the flap or triangular piece, and is disconnected from the foot part of the boot along its front line, thereby forming an adjustable instep which projects beneath the flap or extension of the foot part of the boot, which, is shown at 4. This triangular-shaped piece may be made of the same material as the rest of the foot-warmer; or, if desired, it may be made of calf-skin or grain-leather with any degree of ornamentation'to suit the taste of the maker.

At- 5 is indicated the wool lining, which extends throughout the whole of the interior of both the shoe and the boot-leg.

By this form of construction the lower portion of the triangular-shaped piece is left free, enabling it to have play within the extension of the. boot-upper, which comes up over it, and I thus obtain ample room for expansion while the foot-Warmer is being drawn upon the foot and easy adjustment upon the foot as soon as the footwarmer is firmly settled in place. If the instep were stitched tightly to the upper of the boot all around, there would be room neither for expansion nor adjustment; but in the form of construction which I have described, and which is shown in the drawings, the foot-warmer spreads easily to the required extent while being drawn on, and then falls nicely to the shape of the foot afterward. In the use of a device of this kind it appears that there is more or less moisture absorbed from the perspiration of the foot, and even when there is no contact with the outer air or weather there is so much of this inward moisture that it is very desirable to have a form of construction that would allow rapid drying, and if a proper degree of ventilation can be maintained while the foot-Warmer is being Worn the annoyance of moisture from perspiration is considerably reduced. The adjustable feature of the flap or triangular piece 3 enables it to be pulled out and turned partly inside out after the foot-warmer is removed from the foot, which enables it to be dried rapidly and also to be well Venilated.

Having herein described my improvement, I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- As an improved article of manufacture, a Wool-lined covering for the foot and leg, having an adjustable instep-piece attached to the boot-leg and to the foot part of the boot only along the rear line of the instep-piece, and being disconnected from the foot part along its front line and extending forward and under the upper rear portion of the foot part, whereby expansion and adjustment are allowed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES D. CHANTLER.

Witnesses:

W. B. CARSON, WM. A. STONE. 

